The Quiet Earth
A guilt-ridden scientist searches an emptied New Zealand for survivors while unraveling the experiment that may have erased humanity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- paranoid
- eerie
- late night viewing
- cult film night
What critics said
Critics broadly find the film imaginative and refreshing in its man-alone science fiction premise, with Bruno Lawrence’s electrifying performance helping sustain its cult appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Zac awakens alone and must confront the disappearance of humanity while questioning his own responsibility.
Zac suspects the government research project he worked on caused the disappearance of everyone else.
The film turns a man-alone post-apocalyptic premise into a distinctly New Zealand science fiction cult film.
The survivors investigate an unexplained global event connected to scientific experimentation and the sun.
Films like The Quiet Earth, and why
The World, the Flesh and the Devil
shared post-apocalyptic isolation, existential science fiction, and a protagonist investigating a vanished civilization
I Am Legend
shared solitary survival premise, bleak speculative atmosphere, and tension around discovering what happened to humanity
The Andromeda Strain
shared paranoid science fiction, government experimentation, and psychologically intense end-of-the-world uncertainty
Stalker
shared cult science fiction status, philosophical post-apocalyptic themes, and unsettling altered-reality atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Geoff Murphy
- Release Date
- 1985-09-08
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (660)
Cast
- Bruno Lawrence
- Alison Routledge
- Anzac Wallace
- Pete Smith
- Tom Hyde
- Norman Fletcher
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Quiet Earth about?
- A guilt-ridden scientist searches an emptied New Zealand for survivors while unraveling the experiment that may have erased humanity.
- What is The Quiet Earth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Quiet Earth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Quiet Earth violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Quiet Earth as mild.
- What did critics think of The Quiet Earth?
- Critics broadly find the film imaginative and refreshing in its man-alone science fiction premise, with Bruno Lawrence’s electrifying performance helping sustain its cult appeal.
- Which films are like The Quiet Earth?
- Films with a similar feel include The World, the Flesh and the Devil, I Am Legend, The Andromeda Strain, and Stalker.
- How long is The Quiet Earth?
- The Quiet Earth runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Quiet Earth?
- In United States, The Quiet Earth streams on Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
